>> welcome to the "journal" coming to you live from dw in berlin. the turkish prime minister says his country is not far from war with syria. >> thousands of jordanians call on the keen to speed up democratic reforms. >> and golden anniversary -- james bond sirs 50 years in her majesty's secret service. -- james bond's serves 50 years in her majesty's secret service. >> tensions are escalating in the border region between turkey and syria after further shelling by both sides and a deadly

attack on the turkish border on wednesday. >> just a day after being granted more powers by parliament, the president said that turkey was not interested in war but that it was not far away from it either. he also warned that anyone who tested tricky's decisiveness would be making a fatal mistake. his comments came -- no casualties were reported, but turkish soldiers returned fire across the border. as the, the u.s. security council condemned syria for firing mortars at turkey earlier this week, an attack in which five people died. for the very latest, let's go straight to ankara where thomas is standing by for us. tell us more on this latest incident. what more do you know? >> we know that federal villages from the area have told the turkish media that they heard

explosions in the vicinity just over the border. nobody knows if it is quite true yet if those explosions came from turkish rounds fighting with syria or indeed fighting raging inside syria between rebels and government forces. it is a little bit unclear at the moment. what seems to be clear, though, is that turkey is making it very clear to syria that it is not accepting any more of this cross-border shelling.% the response was immediate by turkish artillery into syria itself. >> let's look into the warning there -- he has been saying since the middle of the week that turkey is not looking for work, but today, he is now saying it is close to war. what should we read into that? >> everyone is trying to find a balance between being tough and avoiding war. he thinks he has to be tough to the outside world and to his own

voters to show them and also the syrians that turkey is not to be messed with. on the other hand, he is very clear not to drag turkey into a war that it does not want. it is a little dangerous game he is playing, but that explains why he is talking tough one day and more conciliatory on another day. >> th much for that. in syria itself, rebels claimed that they have shot down an armed army helicopter near the capital damascus and seized an air defense base. >> activists say rebel stronghold homs suffered the heaviest attacks in months, including raids by jet fighters. some estimates say as many as 70 people have been killed during the day. thousands of jordanian islamists marched on friday in the largest demonstration since the arabs spring inspired protests erupted last year. they called on king abdullah to

accelerate democratic reforms. >> protesters gathered for a rally called friday to rescue the nation. it was called by the muslim brotherhood, the largest opposition party in jordan. it is pushing for more representation and a more democratic parliament. >> more than 10,000 people gathered in front of this mosque to press their demands. they are calling for less corruption and a greater say in political processes as well as less power for the monarchy. >> we want reform and a government that represents the people. right now, are around 100 people control this country. we want everyone to be represented in government. >> king abdullah ii has managed to hold on power by making no more than super -- superficial concessions to the opposition. he paved the way for elections on thursday, promising that

parliament would have greater rights without encroaching on the king's powers. the muslim brotherhood wants to see real change. it has been adopting a more controversial attitude in the wake of successes -- more confrontational attitude in the wake of successes in egypt. >> everyone knows what we want. we wish to see genuine constitutional reforms. and we want a new election law. the current election law is unacceptable. >> the muslim brotherhood says it will boycott the upcoming elections, which could damage the legitimacy of any future parliament. >> back here in germany, there is a year to go until elections, but there's already a taste of campaigning in the air. >> the social democrats picked former finance minister peer steinbruck to challenge the

prime minister. then and now, he has gone into this for a spot of bother, and it is all about money. he has been a favorite on the election circuit. h>> but his critics want to know exactly how much and who he has been speaking to. after days of pressure, he is caving in. >> peer steinburck -- steinbruck left journalists out in the cold and was unwilling to respond to questions on income, either, though he received no payment here. previously, he had announced he would shed more light on earnings outside parliament. auditors are now reviewing newly-released documents. after all, he has often adjust experts in the financial world for a fee. legally, he has done nothing wrong, but his opponents in the government are scouring his records. the spd is crying foul.

>> we've gone to great lengths to rewrite regulations governing work outside parliament. those efforts failed because of opposition from the governing parties. now, they are chiding us, even though they are the ones who rejected our ideas. that takes some nerve. >> german lawmakers only need to make the statements about their outside income. the maximum figure is 7000 euros. beyond that, the exact amount can remain a secret. transparency international wants that to change. >> we want transparency with outside income down to the last cent. deputies need to publish everything so we can see where the money comes from. >> parties in parliament are considering a comprehensive overhaul of the rules. one social democrat deputy could serve as an example. he publishes his tax returns on the internet. >> is this a big deal or just a storm in a teacup? our chief political

correspondent joins us now. thanks for joining us. there is no suggestion whatsoever that steinbruck has done anything wrong or broken any rules. what is the fuss about? then a two things, really. there is a legitimate concern about influence and susceptible -- susceptibility to lobbying, which goes back to the fact that many of these clients with which he worked were banks and financial institutions. steinbruck has said it becomes chancellor he wants to regulate banks more closely. some people are asking the quite legitimate question -- how freely could he do so if some of them are the very same kinds with which he has been having high-paid speaking engagement? that is the one side. the other is party politics. the fact is that the christian democratic president stepped down after a great deal of pressure from the opposition over various business dealings that he had made.

there were concerns about illegitimate influence there as well. this may be partly a tit-for-tat on the part of the other side now putting pressure on peer steinbruck. >> thanks for that. we will be back with you, so do not go anywhere. >> social democrats hope they will have a fighting chance against angela merkel in next year's election, but if they are hoping for a surge in the polls after his nomination, they may be disappointed. >> numbers out today suggest a modest bounce, but overall, they suggest that steinbruck has a mountain to climb against merkel, who continues to dominate the german landscape. >> chancellor kohl will be happy with her party's results in the poll, although low approval ratings for the ftp make it questionable whether she could continue governing with her partner. social democrats stand to be more disappointed. they did not get the bomb they were hoping for after nominating peer steinbruck as their

candidate for chancellor. if elections were held now, 39% of germans would vote cdu/csu, a four-year high. the spd is only a slightly. the conservative coalition partner with not clear the 5% hurdle. head to head, the chancellor has a clear lead over her opponent. 49% say they will vote for merkel. bejeweled between merkel and performance finance minister -- the duel between merkel and her former finance minister has only just begun. polls show germans do want a change in government. so-called grand coalition between conservatives and social democrats or the social democrats and greens are two possible outcomes.

>> let's talk about this. angela merkel is still clearly germany's most popular politician. peer steinbruck will be spending the next year trying to find her achilles heel. will he find one? >> the glowing ratings angela merkel has been getting have to do with the fact that germany has gotten through the year of crisis and financial crisis pretty well and has had some very good years. it looks like those times are coming to an end. germany appears to be heading toward a downturn, a recession, and we also see numbers showing there is a widening gap between rich and poor in this country, so the economy could definitely be an achilles' heel, and steinbruck might be in a position to exploit that. he certainly has a lot of financial expertise. the other possible weakness -- that ongoing euro crisis -- angela merkel will be in a tough spot if greece and spain are looking for further bailouts.

euro policy also a possible area where she might be susceptible. it will be a very suspense- filled year. >> thanks very much for that. >> we turn to the u.s. now. there is good news this friday for the u.s. jobs market. the unemployment rate dipped below 8% for the first time in four years. >> right now, the figures are about a lot more than just the economy. with one month to go until the presidential election, they are all about politics. >> the latest job numbers were good news for u.s. president barack obama. for the first time since he took office, the unemployment rate fell below 8%. but his challenger, mitt romney, had a different take on the figures. he says they are actually a sign that things are getting worse.

>> the unemployment rate, as you noted this year, has come down very slowly, but it has come down on the less. reason it has come down this year is primarily due to the fact that more and more people have just stopped looking for work. >> today's news certainly is not an excuse to try to talk down the economy to score a few political points. it is a reminder that this country has come too far to turn back now. we have made too much progress to return to the policies that led to the crisis in the first place. >> the two candidates have made radically different proposals on the way the u.s. economy should develop. it is not yet clear what effect the new employment numbers will have on the race for the white house. >> let's turn to the markets now and take a closer look at some market numbers. the dax ended the day 1.25% up. the euro stoxx 50 closed almost

2%. the dow jones currently going up just a tick. the euro trading for $1.3017. >> european aerospace giant eads has denied reports that its planned merger with bae systems is close to collapse. >> the main stumbling block concerns the level of control that britain, france, and germany would maintain if the deal goes ahead. if the deal succeeds, it would create the world's biggest aerospace and arms deal. police have shot dead and other south african miners during protests over pay and working conditions. >> almost 50 people have lost their lives in the violence since the strikes began in august. most of them have been shot dead by police. platinum giant anglo-american on friday fired 12,000 employees who refused to return to work. stay with us. we will be back in a minute's time we will be looking ahead to

sunday's election in venezuela. >> that's right. stick around.

>> welcome back. campaigning has ended in venezuela had of this sunday's presidential election, and both of the leading candidates have held final rallies with massive crowds taking part. >> president hugo chavez has asked for a third term to continue his war on poverty. he recently underwent chemotherapy for cancer and has promised his supporters that he is well enough. >> crime and a quality of two of the hot-button issues. both campaigns are focus strongly on venezuela's use, like a 60% of the population -- venezuela's youth. >> and evening out in caracas --

on the surface, a to could be any city in the world, but after nearly a decade and a half of revolution, young people here care about more than fun. they are very politically engaged. >> i am sure that young people will vote for chavez on sunday, a vote for the candidate who has our best interest in hard. and he is attending a campaign event with the sports minister, handing out equipment to society's underprivileged. he wants the social programs introduced during the revolution to continue. >> the challenge for us young people is to move forward with the revolution. also for the sake of the next generation. >> chavez is promising to continue the path to socialism. he has already nationalized the oil industry, pouring in from

into programs for the poor -- pouring in come from the programs -- >> but others have already given up on ghavez -- chavez and his fight for the less fortunate. the challenger has made the rapidly rising crime rate his main issue. >> we do not want to live like this, with violence and out of control crime. >> of venezuela is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world. life is particularly desperate in the slums. >> young venezuelans do not live the lives of young people. they live like strangers, but no man is looking for it -- like nomads living for a place to hide. they are scared. >> in venezuelas biggest slum,

people have seen little improvement since chavez became president. the infrastructure is crumbling, and there are frequent power outages. >> the country was divided into rich and poor. now there is a new division where the one group wants a future for our country, and the other wants the revolution to continue. >> there are youths who still have not chosen a candidate. both contenders made last-minute hitches to undecided voters at events like this one. the atmosphere relaxed with politics nonetheless taking center stage. >> we young people want progress for our country's future. >> we will see how young people decide. >> of venezuela is --

venezuela's youth could make or break this election for chavez. his campaign has succeeded in getting young people to care about this election. >> coming up, differences in education achievement and german schools. >> and 50 years of james bond, but first, here are some other stories making news. authorities in southwestern china say 18 children are dead after a landslide buried their school. triggered by days of sustained rain, the landslide also blocked a nearby river, causing flooding that has hampered rescue efforts. >> berlin is seeking to acquire the german embassy building in the czech capital, prague. thousands of east germans were told that they were free to travel to the west. a milestone on the road to german reunification. >> the greek prime minister has

warned that the economic crisis in his country is threatening democracy. soaring unemployment is putting a huge strain on greek society, and right wing extremism is on the rise. samaras compared the situation to the economic chaos in germany before the rise of the nazis in the 1930's. >> a wide-ranging study centering on 27,000 german fourth graders in 1300 schools has confirmed the disturbing differences between the country's regions and social class is when it comes to educational achievement. >> schools in southern states continue to outperform northern city-s by a wide margin, and children of well-educated parents have a much better chance at doing better in school themselves. >> this elementary school in berlin has students from many ethnic backgrounds. the school specializes in helping them with language acquisition and celebrates different cultural identities. the students perform well on

standardized tests, although many come from less educated families. but many of the berlin schools perform below the national average. the german ministry of education has commissioned its first ever comprehensive nationwide study of elementary schools. the results are distressingly similar to earlier educational studies. in reading and arithmetic, the children of bavaria, saxony take the lead. after the middle ground states, the city-state's, in last in every area. >> it is no secret that elementary schools in the three city-states many children from immigrant families as well as socially different backgrounds. >> the immigration system often struggles to meet the needs of such children who may live in urban areas. experts have criticized the rankings, say school performance in cities like hamburg should not be compared

to that in big states. researchers say it is more important that germany's schools learn from each others' successes. they hope the school can serve as an example to other schools in trouble. >> more gloom for the global economy. international monetary fund is predicting lower than expected lower than expected worldwide growth this year at around 3.3%, according to germany's newspaper. >> the euro crisis is putting the brakes on many economies. france is expecting zero growth in the next six months. in the eurozone overall, the picture looks even worse. the economy is set to shrink over the course of the year. with the economic outlook uncertain for europe, many europeans are happy if they have a job at all. in germany, one job is not necessarily enough. >> official figures show the number of german employees with a second job has doubled just since 2003. and it is not always by choice. for many people, the income from a single job just is not

enough. >> the idea that their work must pay a living wage rings hollow for a growing number of german workers. many have taken on second jobs to make ends meet. since 2003, german -- the german federal labor agency has had a term for this -- it is called the minijob. by 2011, the number of germans with a second job had more than doubled to 2.5 million people, meaning 8.8% of the labor force, with the number rising. the numbers highlights a trend that many find disturbing. the number of people on low incomes has grown more markedly in germany than in other industrialized countries. leaving many people without any choice. they have to work all hours just to survive. >> formula one now, and rebel -- red bull drivers dominated

friday's practice session ahead of sunday's japanese grand prix. >> they will be hoping that is a good omen ahead of the race on sunday when both of them want to make up ground on the leading driver. hamilton finished just 0.2 seconds slower than weber, and retiring german legend michael schumacher walked away unhurt from a crash when his mercedes slipped. .007 is celebrating half a century in her majesty's secret service. it years ago today, the first james bond film hit the silver screen -- 50 years ago today. >> the formula of guns, girls, and gadgets has been a recipe for global success ever since. moviegoers can not seem to get enough of it. >> bond. james bond. >> that famous reply and that to

make fans' hearts race. sean connery was first to play the iconic secret agent in 1962, and there was already a love interest in the shape of a bond girl. you disgrace and played the role in the first two films. -- units -- eunice greyson. >> the whole of the world moviemaking business -- they realized that england could really produced marvelous technicians, marvelous stunt, marvelous sets, marvelous ethos all together. >> sean connery start in the role for more than 10 years, but in 1973, roger more injured her majesty's secret service -- sean connery start in a row for more than 10 years. in 1973, roger moore entered her majesty's secret service. the question of who played on

best is a long-running debate among fans. a total of six actors have played the role. daniel craig is the latest. his most recent adventure is the 23rd bond film. it is due out next month. >> are you going to that? >> i will be going, but i do not want to give it too much publicity. who is your favorite bond? >> hard to say. sean connery. >> same here. stay with us here on dw. more news for you at the top of the hour. >> thanks for watching, and not forget -- there's more on our website, dw.de. see you soon. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- um ????ovív"ddhú#$